


WKH JLUO ZLWK WKH HBH RQ KHU EDFN

by KianaLi



Category: Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-08-30 23:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8552887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KianaLi/pseuds/KianaLi
Summary: It has been 8 years since Weirdmageddon. Everyone has moved forward with their lives and begun new chapters, and yet have closed others. Dipper and Mabel are now 21 years of age and still as curious and spunky as ever.But... what is to happen when, on the other side of the world, a poor girl is stripped from her family to go on an adventure she did not seek?Forcibly taken from her home to search for her people's deity?How is she supposed to find this god?Who will she run into in her travels?





	1. Z EROOZTV OLHG RM GRNV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sorry that the beginning is kind of boring sounding. I wanted to get the idea of what was happening out of the way in the beginning, as what is going to happen is even more interesting!  
> I'd love to hear feedback, so let me know. :)

A girl could be seen with a small book tucked neatly away under her arm, typing away on her cell phone in clear search for something. Her long raven hair was pulled into a neat ponytail as her honey colored eyes shifting viciously as they followed the words on the screen. She was bundled up in a fluffy white winter coat with faux fur around the brim of the hood, thick dark blue jeans and pink winter boots. Her mouth slowly formed soundless words as she read over the text, gears turning as her thoughts ran with every new letter she passed.  
“Black light? Or heat? I don’t think a book this old would do very well in heat, though,” questioned the girl as she continued scrolling.

 

No, no, no, no. I should start my story somewhere in the half-assed middle. I won’t bore you of all the tiny details, but I will give you an explanation on my home’s history.  
Our village is but a tiny one secluded from most of civilization in Egypt. It’s hard to say where our lives reside in reference to my home country, but we have always kept our ways separate from the rest of the lands.  
The story of our people starts as thus:

“Long ago, when the people of our land first ventured from the main part of the country, we were visited by a being greater than the deities of our country.  
He visited the leader of our village during the first few nights of relocation, just a small patch of land outside one of the greater towns. He gave him a promise; one of lush land and great crops. He said our people, though a small group, would outlast many of the bigger cultures who claim to be ever growing.  
There was one small price to pay for this rich promise of a lasting culture--they had to worship him like a God. They must devote their life solely towards him and forget the deities from their former religion.  
He said to make jewelry and pottery with his image; statues and fabrics, too. His form should be in every household within the village. There should be shrines in his honor in all homes as well.  
Our leader agreed. An arrangement was made as the promise was sealed with flames that did not burn. It was then that the leader led our group to a small cave. It had a lake within it that was enough water to support the village for years to come.  
On the opposite side of the massive lake rested a large clearing, yet it was shielded by massive trees. It was as though in the middle of the heated desert; our people were chosen to go to paradise. The land was rich with soil to farm in and plentiful of animals to harvest from.  
Every year just at sunset on the longest day of the year; our people would hold a festival for our god. Stories would be told of his generosity and reminders of how he could take it all away from us at any given moment. We were reminded to always carry a small coin with his symbol on it wherever we went.  
For generations we thrived and prospered, having new leaders come and go as each grew close to our god to pass on his message. To this day we still serve under him, despite no one in the country knowing his name.”

I know, kind of long. Who was this almighty god? The one who my ancestors spoke so highly of? He has a name, and I’m not sure you’re going to like it.  
****_B I L L C I P H E R_  
It burns me up to even write his name down (at least I’m not scribbling in someone else’s journals!) in this book. It was in the journals that I was able to find what he was called. My people still exist, but he is not a god and these journals prove that. He is the devil and an evil creature bent on destroying the universe.  
You already know all of that, though, don’t you?  
Let me get back on track to my story.

My family has been prosperous since the days of old; bringing livestock with us to our new home and gaining a good portion of land throughout the years. Despite our status, most of us were still humble. That’s because we still believed in the true deities of our land, not a self proclaimed triangle… or “dorito” as he resembles the popular chip in America. We had to keep our ways under wraps as to not be banished with nothing to our name; for we no longer held money, we held Bill coins. This currency is useless in every corner of the globe.  
A prophet of old once relayed a message to our people:  
“A TIME WILL COME WHEN I AM NOT ON TRACK  
DO NOT WORRY MY FOLLOWERS I WILL BE BACK”  
This is where the closest point in my history begins to what you will be witnessing.

Our family has always sought after knowledge far from our fingertips and outside the grasps of village. It was on this particular day that I decided to leave the safety of our village and wander the desert. We were pretty far out from any other town, at least it would seem, so I never tried to venture far. I mostly enjoyed walking along the heat and shuffling through the sands. I’ve found a surprising amount of lost artifacts hidden by thin layers of sands, some much much further down.  
My favorite discoveries are the change I find that travelers leave about half an hour away from our village. I think I have at least ten dollars in American money by this point.  
I grew near one of my favorite places to be; a large rock formation that I was able to sit on top of as I watched the lights from towns in the distance flicker. The skies were so clear here that I could see the stars at night and the flying machines that brought people to and from our land. How did they work? I’ve always dreamt of flying on one and travelling alongside the clouds.

I would sit up here for hours, shoes off with some clothes that I found left behind by travelers. It was a white tank top and a pair of jean shorts, as I would later realize they were called. The winds softly blew past me, whipping my hair around as the heat from the sun would gently tinge my skin. Some of my favorite moments were sitting at this exact spot. I loved it.  
The sun was in the middle of the sky as I looked off and saw a figure doing something not too far from the rock formation. Maybe it was a mirage? Had I been in the sun too long? I wiped my eyes and looked again. Nope; they was there alright. They were putting rocks down on the ground. He almost looked as if he were in a trance.  
“Hey!” I shouted, crawling to one side of the rock, “what are you doing?”  
I had never met anyone who wasn’t apart of our village, so I was excited to get to know this foreigner. Someone with knowledge; with stories to tell of his own people! What if he knew more of the other lands? What if he knew about the people who flew high in the skies just to reach this one? I edged closer, wondering if the figure couldn’t hear me. I kept trying to shout at them, but they didn’t even lift their head to see who was shouting. What was up?  
It was soon after this that I found myself flipping from the rock, unable to grasp anything as my body plummeted to the ground. What was going to happen to me? How badly would I be hurt? It felt like time was slowed down, yet it was all a blur at the same time. My thoughts raced faster than my body, which was falling at quick speed. All the noise stopped as a terrible burning sensation crept along my back. My piercing screams were all but muffled to myself as I laid there, unable to move from the burning rocks that I had landed upon. Once my screaming had subsided, I managed to peel myself from the rocks to curl up on my side; tears in my eyes as blisters formed along my back.  
When the sun finally began to settle in the sky was when I gathered up enough strength to walk home. My papa ran out to me as soon as he saw me, hugging myself with tears in my eyes.  
“What is wrong, Kiya?” he would concerningly ask.  
“My back, papa,” I managed to choke out to him. I stood still so he could get a look at my back when I heard him gasp.  
“Kiya, my dear, we need to get into the house.” but it was too late.  
Papa wanted to protect me from the maniacal worshipers of the glowing yellow demon, but by the time he had muttered my name others had already seen it. I would learn that on my back, blistered into my skin, had formed a triangle with an eye at its center. This was taken as a sign that our ‘God’ chose me to seek out his whereabouts since his disappearance of our lands.   
Our leader tore me from my crying parents as I screamed, locking me away and having five men hold me down. I didn’t know why he needed so many people to keep me still, until I felt the hot knife against my skin. I will spare you the details, but it’s called scarification. I suppose I am bias about it as I had no say in mine; the devil who caused me such misery is now forever on my back in a pale outline, watching me.  
My “people” even kept the leftover skin to make a shrine in honor of his return for the first time in eight years. It makes me disgusted to think that they want my loyalty yet would throw me under the bus like this by stripping my life away, mutilating my body, and forcing me on a quest I did not ask for.  
The elders of our village rushed off towards the sacred building where leaders and prophets spoke to the demon. In their hands was a box full of various kinds of money. It was mostly foreign to our culture, with a few Bill coins. They sent me off and made arrangements through ‘secret’ sources to have me flown to the state of Oregon in the United States of America. I landed in Portland International Airport after several hours.  
I won’t bore you about my trip on the airplane, but it was amazing. My world is so much smaller than it seems and I can only hope to travel a small portion of the rest. They weren’t bright enough to get me onto my path towards Gravity Falls, so I had to squirm around Portland for a few nights before I managed to do anything. The people were so nice, though. I had so many questions and could barely speak their language, and yet they let me sleep in their homes as if I was a dear friend. I hope to repay them for their kindness one day.  
I eventually was sent to a place to trade my currency for dollars. Also, I might add that our language differs just slightly from what is currently spoken in Egypt; so when I was greeted and given the opportunity for an interpreter, he did not always understand me.  
My text is the thick black one, the others are in blue, but imagine it in another language after ‘Egypt’.

**“Yes, please.”  
** “What country are you from?”  
**“Egypt.”  
** Another man came up.  
“Will you be exchanging Egyptian pounds for dollars?”  
**“I’m not sure what an ‘Egyptian pound’ is…?”  
** The man sighed, rubbing his forehead.  
“Please show me the money you have with you.”  
I proceeded to pull up the box, letting him sift through it to see the different currency. I could hear a soft ‘hm’ before he looked up something on his phone, giving a slight gasp.  
“If you could please follow me, I’d like to have someone look at these.”  
**“Is my money no good here? I am terribly sorry, I can leave.”  
** “No, I believe it’s worth more than you’re going to expect.”  
It was about an hour later when another man came in, someone who reminded me of my culture with a nice suit that smelled like old parchment paper. He had shaky hands and small glasses framing his face. He looked wise; wiser than anyone I had known.  
“Where are the coins?”  
**“My coins? Here.”** I managed to barely return the phrase in English, mimicking his words as I held up my box.  
“This is Robert. He is a historian and he wants to give a look over your coins to see if they have true value or not.” the translator said to me.  
**“Why would they not have value?”  
** “Coins like this are not been used for quite some time.”  
“Hello, I am Robert, may I ask your name?” the new man asked in a more familiar language.  
**“My name is Kiya. I am sorry to take up so much of your time. My people have-”  
** “I wanted to tell you that the currency you have brought to us is Ancient.”  
**“I am sorry!”  
** “Do not be sorry! I work at a museum and study ancient civilizations. Some of these look like the first physical currency your country began using.”  
**“Does this mean they have no worth?”  
** “This means that they have more value than what you might think they do.”

So it was at this point that I thank my ancestors for keeping the currency of our lost culture. They made me “rich” according to the person whom made the exchange. There was something about taxes, but I didn’t care. Supposedly I helped preserve my culture, and gained a great tool in doing anything outside of my village. I eventually got a cellphone and started learning. What? Everything and anything. I started with language. I worked everyday for extensive hours to learn English and read it. Once I felt comfortable with that, I started learning about the world around me.  
The world was so huge in comparison to everything I knew about life. No one was even aware of our village, but I’m sure that the demon wanted it that way. I am almost positive that if anyone else had come to this country, they would have cried and begged to go home. The world has grown so advanced and we have stayed lost in the past. I guess that is the only way an entire civilization can devote itself to an unworthy god. I originally landed in Oregon in the summer, but ended up leaving Portland around the winter time.  
When I arrived in Gravity Falls, the snow had yet to fall. I was lucky, as my attire had consisted of shorts almost my entire time of being in the ‘states’ as the locals usually refer it as. I eventually bought myself a suitcase and some new clothes. To be completely honest, I’m sure you’re asking; “Why did she even bother to go to Gravity Falls if she didn’t want anything to do with Bill?”  
I may have disdain for him, but I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to look him in his eye and spit in it while cursing his existence. Perhaps I would gain news that this damned creature had been destroyed and I was free of his tyranny.  
I wandered aimlessly for a while as I thought of what I would need to do while here when I found the journals. They were next to a giant hole in the ground, untouched as if left there. I eventually realized that the pit had spit them back up and no one bothered to come look at them again.  
Just before the beginning of what’s currently written is where I met Fiddleford. He’s an older gentleman with a long beard and an oddly shaped hat. He was struggling to stand up straight, as if something were wrong with his back? I am unsure. He had wandered out to the pit to throw away some plans he planned on scrapping. We talked a bit and I asked him where I could go to stay in Gravity Falls. He offered me to stay at his mansion for my stay, saying it had gotten quite lonely with almost no one there.  
I was very lucky to run into Fiddleford, as the snow came heavily that night and the next day I went to explore more.


	2. 18-5-20-21-18-14 15-6 20-8-5 20-23-9-14-19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiya begins to learn about Fiddleford, the journals, and Gravity Falls itself. She gets a surprise when Fiddleford called an old friend in for a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how popular this will get, but I decided to make a blog just in case anyone wanted to make fanart of it? I dunno. It's: http://eyeonherback.tumblr.com/  
> Also, working on chapter three! Hoping to get that in before next year, but with the way work is going it's getting harder to find time to myself.  
> Oh, Happy Thanksgiving! It's my 8 year anniversary with my significant other, too! So I'm celebrating that as well.

“I suppose I can try blacklight? I really don’t think heat will last on this… If that doesn’t work, then I’ll try to figure something else out…” Kiya murmured under her breath, fog forming in the crisp winter air. She shoved the journals into her backpack, finding it easier to carry a small bag on short expeditions than lugging around her suitcase that held all of her belongings. She trudged through the snow to the local store, aimlessly walking around for a while as she tried to figure out which section had the light bulbs.  
After making a sharp turn she saw a large variety of size and shapes for the bulbs, mouthing an ‘oh’ as she pulled out her phone. Typing on the screen she looked up what a black light bulb looked like, comparing it to the ones she had to choose from. She grabbed the bulb and put it in the basket, looking through some of the food options as well before making her way up front to check out. Once she was finished at the store, she shuffled back up to Fiddleford’s mansion, quietly going in after finding the spare key and putting it back in it’s spot.  
“You can keep the key on ya fer as long as yer hear, Kiya. Ya don’t have t’go sneakin’ around. I actually enjoy the company,” he spoke out as he saw her enter.  
She tensed up as he first spoke, biting her lip in thought as she turned around.  
“That’s kind of you, but I’m not sure if I can do that. You’re already being so kind, and I do not want to overstep my welcome.”  
“Don’t worry about it. This place needed an extra set of lively feet shufflin’ up n’ down through the halls until dawn.”  
Kiya couldn’t help but respond his soft smile with one of her own, nodding and giving him a small ‘thank you’. She began to head back towards the room he had let her use, stopping in her tracks to look at him walking back to his inventing room.  
“Oh, uhm, where can I find a lamp? I like to read at night, but don’t like leaving the light on.”  
“Huh?” he stopped in his tracks, turning around and fiddling with his glasses, “uh I believe there’s one in the bedroom about two doors down from yours. Otherwise you’re free to help yerself to the one in the dinin’ room.”  
“Thank you once again!” she chirped in response, heading off to the bedroom in question. She carefully opened up the door, peering in quickly to see if there was indeed a lamp among the contents there. A smile broke over her lips as she grabbed it, taking it back to her own room before closing the door. Carefully removing the lightbulb currently in the lamp, she quickly replaced it with the blacklight one that she had just bought. She spent all night reading the journals front to back and comparing some of the pages that seemed intertwined. Her heart was racing as she read all of the hidden messages, worrying about what was to come as if she wasn’t living proof that the world didn’t end.

Kiya stretched her arms up as she finally finished reading, rubbing her eyes softly and realizing just how tired she was. A loud knock interrupted her thoughts, jumping as she glared at the door, becoming skeptical of who it might be for half a second.  
“Kiya?” came the sound of Fiddleford’s concerned voice, causing her to relax.  
“Hm?” she hummed in response, letting a loud yawn escaped her lips.  
“I’m not very good at cookin’, but I made some breakfast if yer hungry.”  
“Oh? I’m starved! Thank you!” she chimed, stomach growling at the mention of food. It didn’t take long before she got dressed and found herself sitting with Fiddleford at the table in the main dining room. The silence between the two as forks clanked against the plates and cups clunked against the table was eerie. Kiya had never sensed such a silence as she did just now.  
“Where did you say yer from?” Fiddleford eventually piped up, attempting to make conversation to end the silence.  
“Egypt! It’s a little village… I’m not quite sure what city it’s close to, though,” Kiya frowned slightly, pondering on it. Fiddleford responded with a ‘hoo!’  
“Thats a long ways away, huh? What brings you all the way to Gravity Falls?”  
“It’s a long story, but it has to do with this…” she pulled out a ‘Bill coin’ and handed it to him. He took it between his fingers, turning it between his forefinger and thumb, pulling it really close to his eyes to get a better look at it. A small gasp escaped his lips as he noticed the Bill symbol on the back of the coin.  
“Do you recognize it?”  
“N-no, but I know who this is.”  
“You’ve met Bill?”  
“Not personally, but he did try to take over the world about eight years ago…”  
“What happened?”  
Fiddleford sighed as he explained the happenings of Weirdmageddon, telling her about how Bill was removed from our dimension and erased from existence. She blinked, listening the story about what had happened.  
“I see… My village was visited by him up until about then. I was taken from my family to see what happened to… our ‘god’.” she cringed, feeling disgusting after muttering the phrase.  
“You don’t seem t’share in their views. Did somethin’ happen?”  
“Just… they humiliated my family for centuries for believing in the ways of the old, and I don’t think it’s coincidence that I was chosen to go on a goose chase to find a lost god; who probably never even cared about us.”  
“I see… Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as y’need to… or want to. I’d understand if ya didn’t quite wanna go home right away.”  
“Thanks, Fiddleford. I know I won’t find Bill, but I think a break from everything will be good.”  
“Like I said, yer more than welcome to stay as long as you like. It’s really nice to have some company.”  
“Oh! Would you be willing to teach me how to use computers? I’ve managed to learn this cell phone, but I’m a little weary about computers…”  
“Of course!”

 

Kiya had gone out to grab some food for the two of them, wanting to try out some recipes she had found online when he was teaching her how to work the computer. Fiddleford held onto the coin, a weary feeling tugging at the back of his mind. He grabbed his phone, dialing in a familiar number. He waited as the phone rung, soon answered by a male with white noise in the background.  
“Hello? This is Mason, no Mabel’s not available right now,” came the familiar yet distinct tone of the now mature Dipper Pines.  
“Dipper? It’s McGucket.”  
“H-huh? McGucket, oh, h-hey! What’s up? Is everything okay?” he questioned, sounding a bit embarrassed.  
“I think so… but something’s been botherin’ me…” he began to explain about Kiya and what she had explained to him.  
“So… they worship Bill?”  
“That’s what she said. They even have coins with Bill on ‘em.”  
“I see. Have you talked to Grunkle Ford yet?”  
“No, but I’m gonna call him when we hang up.”  
“I’ll try to grab Mabel, but either way I’ll be there within the next week.”  
“If anything changes, I’ll let y’know.”  
He heard the click of the phone as they hung up; dialing Stanford’s number and listening as the new call began.  
“Stanford Pines speaking.” came the familiar tone of his old partner.  
“Stanford! Hoo-ee, it’s been a while.”  
“Fiddleford? It has been a while! Has something happened?”  
He proceeded to explain the situation once again, voicing his concern about the matter a bit more loudly with his former partner.  
“I know that he was worshipped, but I didn’t know there were still societies that worshipped him that way… You’re positive?”  
“She’s got a coin that resembles something from ancient Egypt.”  
“... Alright, Stanley and I will be on our way back to see what’s up. Did you call the twins?”  
“Yep! Just got off the phone with Dipper.”  
“See you this Friday.”  
Click. The sound of the door knob turning echoed in the front hall, making him look down as Kiya re entered the mansion.  
“I got chicken, is that alright for the meat?” she asked, blinking at the concerned look on his face as he finally slipped his cell phone into his pocket, “is everything okay?”  
“Huh?” he seemed to snap out of his daze, nodding, “yep! Everythin’s fine!”  
She smiled softly, walking with him towards the kitchen.  
“Um… do you have any spices? I was reading about a recipe that required some, but I wasn’t sure if I’d like any… I went to test them out at the store, but I got yelled at for trying to break this device called a ‘safety seal’.”  
He laughed softly at her question, shaking his head as he tried to calm himself down.  
“I got plenty’a’spices. There’s a cab’net dedicated to ‘em. Feel free to help yerself.”  
The two explored the spice cabinet together, sharing in delight as Kiya stared with confusion at Fiddleford’s inability to keep up with her level of natural spicy tolerance. On the other hand, he found himself laughing as she snuffed her nose up with disgust at a steak rub proclaiming “it’s too salty!!” They shared in equal joy as they tried to figure out the best combination of seasonings to put together to make the best chicken.

 

Elsewhere in the world, Stanford was quietly packing up his belongings. He and Stanley had brought their boat to a port and secured it well. It was a private port of a good friend he had known in college, so he was sure that no one would try to mess with or move it. He was still a bit paranoid about other’s interests and actions, thus came with thirty years of dimension hopping trying to slip from Bill.  
“So, what exactly is goin’ on, Ford?”  
“I’m not absolutely positive, but aside from what I’ve told you. I mean, I have seen people worshipping Bill _like_ a god, but I’ve never seen a civilization that managed to survive to this date that still practiced with their worship. It’s actually hard to believe that there’s been one hiding under the radar to this date, well,” he chuckled softly, “one that isn’t mythical and magical. People seem to avoid accepting those as actually existing.”  
“What if he’s mistaken?”  
“Fiddleford may have used the memory gun on himself one too many times, but he is still one of the sharpest people I have ever known. While we’re on the plane, I plan to try to find what I can about lost civilizations or anything like it; the odds are not in my favor but if I can find anything to pinpoint on, then perhaps we’ll have an idea of what we’re getting ourselves into.”  
“So, when do we leave, Sixer?”  
“Tomorrow morning. We need to rest up, then we’ll leave first thing when the sun rises. We may be back in the states, but it still takes a few hours to get across the country.”  
“Yeah, yeah, oh, are the kids comin’? Haven’t seen them in quite some time,” Stanley laughed, imagining how awkward the two must have been when going through their teenage years.  
“Hopefully.”  
“Knowing Dipper, he’ll be there. Mabel will probably come, but she always was the one to find things to do!”  
“You’re right, Stanley,” he laughed.

 

“Hey, Mabel,” the male chimed to his twin sister, shoving some of his stuff into a backpack. The two had begun their new chapter of life a little less than a year ago, moving out together after saving enough money to get their first apartment. Mabel still had Waddles, snuggling him every night through thick and thin (hot or cold!)  
“Hm, brobro?” she chimed in response, letting the bristles glide along her nail, coloring it with a bright pink color.  
“You up for an adventure?”  
There was a short pause as he could see Mabel slowly thinking over what he had said, eyes widening and gleaming with excitement.  
“We’re going back to Gravity Falls?!” she asked, jumping up from her chair and bouncing around her brother.  
“Y-yeah, I was gonna go without you, bu-”  
“First of all,” she stuck her forefinger forward, “how dare you. Of course I wanna go!! Is Grunkle Stan gonna be there? What about Grunkle Ford??”  
He laughed and messed up her hair.  
“As far as I know, yeah. Fiddleford called all the Pines family back.”  
“You hear that Waddles?” she asked as he made a small questioning oink in response, “FAMILY REUNION!!” She twirled around with him, grinning ear to ear. Dipper laughed, shaking his head.  
“Just hurry up and get your stuff together. The sooner we’re there, the sooner Fiddleford will be able to relax.”  
“Ri~ght! Lemme just go pack my room up.”  
“M-Mabel! We’re not going to be there that long…!”

 

The day passed as the two worked together in both teaching and learning, sharing in knowledge overall. By lunchtime, the two were eating together; sandwiches with fries, chips were also available.  
“I do not understand,” Kiya piped up, staring at her sandwich. It had taken her three tries to get a combination that she actually liked.  
“Hm? What’s wrong?”  
“How is this supposed to be filling? It is merely meat and cheese stuffed between two slices of bread. That does not seem like it would last that long, plus it seems rather... squishy.”  
“It’s hard to explain,” he laughed, “just try it and you’ll see!”  
Kiya made a face, but ate her lunch nonetheless. The two continued on mindless chatter, sharing in stories and making new memories together.  
“Fiddleford? I do have a question… Do you know who could have written these? I had a possible extension of their weirdness theory.”  
“Huh… so I guess they came back. Yep! Good friend of mine, Stanford Pines.”  
“So, would you be willing to hear my theory?” she brightened up, ready to blurt it out in a second’s notice.  
“Well, why don’t you wait? He, his brother, and his great niece and nephew are comin’ over for a visit!”  
“W-what? Y-you mean that the Pines family is coming? Mabel and Dipper?” He nodded in response.  
“T-this is what people must refer to when they say they feel funny when meeting a celebrity…”  
“They’re just like me or you, I mean, if it wasn’t fer my help we wouldn’t have pulled Bill’s eye out right of his socket!”  
“That’s amazing.”  
“Yep! Ya should’ve seen’t. The ole’ Mystery Shack really came alive!”  
“No, no, I meant pulling his eye out… but I guess that seems pretty awe worthy as well!”

 

The car’s engine slowly grew quiet as Dipper turned it off, staring up at the mansion that formerly belonged to Mabel’s rival. He couldn’t help but crack a smile as he thought of that particular summer, memories flooding back of all the good adventures they had together. Mabel hopped out of the car, holding Waddles to her chest as she beamed at Dipper.  
“It feels like everything happened yesterday!”  
“Yeah, it really does. Remember that time Pacifica almost won Waddles?”  
“What about your huge summer-long crush on Wendy?”  
“Shut up,” he retorted through laughs. It was hard to believe that after so long they were finally really back. After they started high school, they didn’t really have time to come back. The classes were piling up, peer pressure was annoying, and he had to seriously keep Mabel away from some creepy dudes.  
“Let’s go inside already! It’s super cold out here,” Mabel giggled, making sure Waddles’ sweater was tightly around him.  
“Dipper…? Mabel…?”  
The two spun around as their names were called, seeing two old familiar faces.  
“Grunkle Stan/Ford!” each shouted in unison as one younger twin ran up to one of the elder twins for a hug.  
“It’s been so long! Waddles missed you!!”  
“How was your trip? Did you see anything crazy?”  
“Now, now, we’ll get to all of that when we get inside,” Stanley laughed, patting Waddles on the head.  
“I’m sure it’d be easier to talk over in a warmer environment,” Stanford agreed, gently pushing the two younger twins forward.  
“After all, I’m sure it’s been even longer since you’ve seen Fiddleford. He misses you guys.”  
“We miss him, too, Grunkle Ford.”  
“Then let’s go tell him!” Stanley shouted, bursting open the door of the mansion.


	3. D VRFLHWB GUHQFKHG LQ EORRG

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang's finally back together! Stanley, Stanford, Dipper, Mabel, and even Waddles too!  
> Now that they're back, what will they discuss? How will they tackle the information that Kiya holds in her hands (and on her back)?  
> A starstruck Kiya also gets to share her theory about the weirdness surrounding Gravity Falls!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So; just letting you know, part of her theory is the based off of a Supernatural theory. :P  
> Yay! I managed to get this one out before even the middle of December!  
> I was surprised at how long this chapter ended up being!! I was pretty sure it would probably be filled with another plot point (definitely in chapter four), but I ended up adding in a little more detail to another point.  
> Also, feel free to try to de-cipher anything I put up. :P  
> I might make a little prize for the person who can give me the original messages! :D

The duo blinked in unison as the doors to the mansion were suddenly burst open. Fiddleford’s expression perked up as he looked over at the quartet that entered. He stood up and walked over to the group, giving each of them a big hug.  
“Didn’t expect to see ya so soon!”  
“Traveling is a lot easier now than back in our day,” Stanford laughed.  
“It sure is! Boy have you two grown! Yer a sight for sore eyes!”  
Dipper laughed as his shoulders shrugged softly, looking between himself and his twin sister. They were still roughly around the same height with a few minor differences. Of course there were differences due to their age, but it just didn’t feel like there was that much of a difference. It always felt weird to him when people pointed it out.  
“Oh! Come’n to the dinin’ room! Me’n’Kiya were makin’ sandwiches, so the stuff’s still out, if yer hungry!”  
“Great! We’re starved,” Mabel raised Waddles’ arms up in the air gently; imitating a small child in a frantic fit of ‘me! Pick me!’ sort of motion. Everyone sat down and began to make their own meal, munching and catching up. They talked about their adventures across the world--or just trying to live through college. The twins wanted to join their grunkles on their grand adventures once they were old enough, but they came to an agreement that if they got at least one degree all the way through to the end then they would be free to join them.  
Kiya watched and listened as they told stories of their time away from Gravity Falls, almost in a state of shock as she couldn’t form her own thoughts. It was such a surreal feeling to her. No one in her village ever had anything new to say… It was always the stories that were passed on since the first peoples. A strange feeling was present in her body, something that she felt on days when she and Fiddleford would sit and talk for hours. It was a warm sensation that made the tips of her fingers tingle as if she were standing near a fire, but not in a situation where she was in dire need of warmth; but rather if she had the choice to just sit next to a fire and watch all the stars dance by at night. These weren’t her stories to tell, but she listened to each detail as if she were going to be retelling it for the next hundred years.  
“Hi! I’m Mabel!” came the upbeat introduction from the female twin of the younger Pines, causing Kiya to shake her head as her train of thought was abruptly interrupted. Her eyes widened, staring down at the hand that was being offered in a friendly gesture before hesitantly moving her own in the same motion.  
“H-Hi… You can call me Kiya…” she stuttered on her words, feeling like an outsider among the group. She had been sitting around and watching them as they spoke, catching up like old friends do, but she had nothing to contribute to this conversation. She gave a half a smile towards Mabel, unsure of what else to do. In the state of things she would call ‘her world’, everyone knew each other from the time they were born until they died. They were not a large community, and yet they had managed to survive this long down the line. She was still amazed with the fact that such a strange little group of people had managed to make it this far when such wonders were thrown upon the people like them that ended up destroying their lives. Her thoughts were interrupted again by the sound of Mabel’s laughter.  
“D-did I do something wrong?”  
Mabel shook her head and waved her hand in a similar motion, beaming as she spoke, “Nope! Not at all! You just kind of remind me of Dipper! Head always bursting with thoughts and never stopping, even in the middle of a conversation!”  
“S-sorry…” she laughed nervously in response, biting the corner of her lower lip.  
“It’s fi~ne~! Besides, I think Waddles has already taken a liking to you!”  
Waddles had begun nudging Kiya’s leg as the two talked, looking up at her with his big eyes and a cute tilt of the head. She moved her hand down and gently pet the unfamiliar pig, giggling at the feeling of his tongue against her skin as he proceeded to lick her.  
“That reminds me! Kiya, didn’ you have somethin’ you wanted to tell Stanford?”  
Kiya’s eyes widened with wonder and delight, looking between Fiddleford and Stanford similar to a puppy waiting to retrieve its treat. Stanford couldn’t help but to stifle a small chuckle at her reaction, reminding him of a much milder reaction to when he first met Dipper.  
“Well, what is it? Anyone Fiddleford finds interesting must have a brilliant mind on them,” he paused as he looked at Mabel giving off a pout, cheeks puffed up slightly.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He chuckled in response to her antics, patting her head gently.  
“You may not be what is typically consider ‘brilliant’, but you have a unique version of smarts that make your mind just as important as anyone else here. Just like Stanley is street smart and good at conning people.”  
“Yes I am! Everyone’s got their own version of smart, sweetie, and part of yours is your creativity and ability to look at things from a different point!” Dipper couldn’t help but laugh after Grunkle Stan spoke, grinning as he added in.  
“I mean hey, how many people think to make a map into a paper hat or hang upside down to get a better view of what you’re looking for?”  
“Hmmm… sounds cheesy but I’ll take it!” she giggled.  
Once the laughter subsided a bit, Ford cleared his throat and looked back towards Kiya, “So… what was it that you wanted to tell me?”  
“I-I… uh…” she twirled her thumbs together, biting her lip as she tried to think of what to say, “well, I-I hope I don’t seem rude, but first and foremost I read your journals. Apparently they didn’t end up getting lost to the bottomless pit as you had hoped. A-anyway… I started to look around online, nothing big-”  
“Now, don’t sell yerself short, Kiya! Yer a pretty quick learner! I don’t think I’ve seen or heard of anyone who’s learned a new language as fast as you’ve!”  
“Oh? I heard you were from Egypt, yes?” he questioned, receiving a nod in response, “so when was it that you learned English?”  
“U-um… i-it took me about two or three days to read it… I-It took me almost a month to even speak it properly, though! I still have a heavy accent, though…”  
“He’s right, you shouldn’t let yourself devalue your accomplishments so easily. I’m sure you’re still struggling in other ways, but for what you’ve managed to do and learn despite having such a disadvantage against you is astounding. Quite frankly, I’m impressed that you haven’t succumb to culture shock. If I were raised in a situation as what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t know what to do with these shiny metal boxes that makes noises.”  
Kiya gave a sheepish smile, unsure how to take the compliment as she hadn’t had to conquer such strange things as this before. In her world there were things that people could accomplish, but they were necessary to survive. Anything beyond that was typically considered… kind of pointless. To them, it was the same as asking; “Why would you teach your dog how to meow?” It would be a pointless skill for the animal itself. It was impressive, but it served no purpose other than additional noise.  
“W-well, um… I started browsing around and found some people to have theories about beliefs and how they are connected to the paranormal. For example, the fact that we can find drawings, paintings, stained glass, stories, and so much more about dragons…  _ around the world _ . Why is that? While it is highly likely that it is just that these creatures existed around the world at varying times in varying differences, the theory that they’ve discussed brings a new idea to things. They have come to an idea of: If someone believes in it, does it make it exist?”  
“So belief in the idea thus in turn creates said idea. Interesting. I have heard of something along those lines.”  
“My theory is crossed between the idea that they existed naturally, but also that the belief in something can create or give it strength. I began thinking that it were too odd for so many civilizations to have come up with something as fantastical on their own, so what if a few existed scattered around the world? Hiding in their own little worlds as far away from human eyes as they can possibly do, but still being seen.”  
“Hm. Well, that’s not too unusual, they still hide away from others in Gravity Falls. They keep to the woods and far off from the main part of town.”  
“But, to add onto that. What if so many exist here due to Gravity Falls being a weak point between dimensions? What if the belief of man was so powerful that it caused supernatural beings and phenomena to be drawn towards the paranormal spot?”  
“Gravity Falls isn’t the only paranormal/supernatural hot spot in the world, though.”  
“It’s not, no, but it is the strongest. It’s the weakest point between worlds, which is why it was chosen as the doorway for a certain triangular demon. It naturally draws in the supernatural as most of the towns folk wish to not know of it. It’s the cycle of opposites attract. Weird people trying to seem normal with no signs of the occult are surrounded by the most supernatural lands that can be imagined. A few in existence create peoples' belief, which in turn creates more, which furthers their belief in it. It’s a never ending cycle that normalizes weirdness, but only in one location; because if weirdness were normalized throughout the world then it wouldn’t be weird anymore.”  
“So, if weirdness wasn’t ‘weird’, then what?”  
“The cycle would create something new. If even one creature can slip into our world, then it gives people the idea to believe it exists. If they believe, then it exists. Humans in particular are quite interesting in that aspect as some refuse to accept anything, while others believe in everything. Things we’ve seen before and some we haven’t. They all existed in our mind once, or perhaps few varied throughout the world, but our belief in them gave them more life.”  
Ford gave a small ‘hm’ in response, looking down at the table in quiet thought. Kiya waited quietly, shrinking slightly into her chair as the time ticked away; nerves getting the better of her as her fear that he would find her theory to be garbage felt as if it were nearing its reality. A knot had formed in her stomach, foot bouncing as she gently rocked on the edge of her seat impatiently.  
“I-”  
“N-no, it’s okay. I thought it was kind of outlandish. I’m sorry!” she retorted, biting her lip and closing her eyes.  
“Kiya, look at me.”  
She hesitantly opened her eyes, looking up at him quietly as he stared at her.  
“First off, I’m not sure why you thought I would, but I’m not going to yell at you. Secondly, I think it’s a pretty damn brilliant theory. I’ve always liked listening to the ideas of others, because you can never get a better viewpoint than from the eyes of someone else. If they only agree with you, then they can’t give you insight of how your own might be wrong.”  
“I didn’t say yours were wrong…” she sunk in her seat a little further.  
“No, but it’s better to hear differing opinions than the same thing again and again. You have a fresh pair of eyes new to the supernatural and due to that can come up with ideas such as this. You’ve managed to come up with an idea that I hadn’t even really put much thought into before now. I’ve worked on my weirdness theory, but I didn’t stop to think that perhaps one of the simplest solutions could potentially be the answer.”  
“R-really?”  
“Yes. I always assumed that it was so outlandish that I just couldn’t grasp it between my twelve fingers. If you don’t mind, when we have some extra time, I’d love to discuss this in further detail with you.”  
“U-um… a-alright! I-I still have the sites saved that I read the information on.”

  
  


The time passed by like any normal day would, except it was filled with much more story telling. Mabel and Stanford were pestering Kiya to hear more about her civilization, while she only managed to get Dipper and Stanley to talk about the adventures that the group once had.  
“I’m gun’ take Kiya t’bed, then I’ll be back so we can make some tea!”  
“Alright, Fiddleford. Goodnight, Kiya.”  
“Goodnight, Mr. Stanford!” she responded promptly to his own, giving a small bow of her head. He emitted a soft laugh in response, shaking his head.  
“Ford is fine.”  
“R-right!”  
“G’night Kiya! Waddles says night, too!” Mabel shouted, hugging her and pressing Waddles against her cheek. Kiya couldn’t help but giggle in response to the affectionate licks she received from the pet pig.  
“Don’t worry, kiddo. If mean ol’ Ford yells at you, I’ll be the first one to punch him, mmkay?” Stan gave her a rough pat on the head as he ruffled her hair, laughing at the shocked response she gave.  
“U-um… o-okay?”  
Tension built in the air as the silence fell upon them, not hearing anything from Dipper. Kiya tilted her head and looked towards him, attempting to give a-not-so-awkward smile towards the male.  
“G-goodnight… I hope you sleep well.”  
“Hm?” came the groggy voice, half looking at her, “oh, yeah. G’night.”  


Kiya looked at the ground as they walked together, eyes following the designs and patterns on the carpet as each part passed. From what she had known about Fiddleford thus far in their time together, it didn’t seem like him to really pick something so extravagant to live in. It looked as if it were designed by someone else and the parts of the mansion he didn’t go in very often were still in their original design. The areas he was in the most clearly reminded her that he had made some new additions to the house. In his study he had a desk that held a large computer on the top in the middle with little knick knacks surrounding it. The one that always confused her was a small cube that could be moved to change the color pattern of the smaller cubes on it. She didn’t understand why such a strange device would be considered… ‘fun’?  
The rooms he was always in smelled like old parchment, metal, a faint hint of beans, with the faintest scent of an animal she had never seen around. She knew the smell of animals, but this was one that she wasn’t too familiar with to describe. It was a smell she had grown to like, despite being peculiar. She felt comfortable surrounded by the smells. He also seems to have changed the lighting system of the main parts of the house he uses, as rather than a switch, he has a slider; which he usually leaves at about the halfway mark. It’s lit just enough to do work in, but not enough to hurt anyone’s eyes. With the reds that surrounded most of the house, it made for a nice orange hue that felt just right.  
Fiddleford watched Kiya as her brows had been furrowed in thought, matching her pace as she walked just slightly slower than normal. He had seen that walk before on many people. When someone takes in more information than their body can handle at a time, they usually slow down just a bit. It’s never noticeable to the person doing it, naturally, as they’re too lost in thought to think of their walking. Hell, he always assumed at some point or another he had done the same thing himself. He had just become concerned, since he had never seen her flinch for any reason before today. She seemed so… content with her surroundings. Perhaps she was just under a lot of stress from meeting so many new people? He just worried that perhaps it stemmed from something that she hadn’t told him about.  
“K-Kiya?” he stumbled on the word, forcing the vibrations to escape from his throat as he found himself trailing too far into his own mind.  
“Huh?!” she quickly hummed out in mild panic, almost falling flat on her face in the process.  
“Sorry… I just wanted t’ask ya… Is everythin’ ok?” he had stopped walking at this point, matching her speed as they both looked at each other.  
“Hm? Yeah…? Why wouldn’t it be?” she responded, confusion forcing her formerly furrowed brows to raise quizzically.  
“I… dunno. It’s just the way you flinched when Ford was about to respond… it was almost as if ya were ready to cry…”  
“D-don’t worry about it! I-I’m fine…” she tensed up, clenching and unclenching her hands behind her back.  
“Have you been yelled at alot, Kiya?”  
Her eyes looked away from his, glancing towards the ground guiltily. He could tell by the look on her face that she was afraid to say yes, which worried him even more.  
“T-they didn’t hurt you for talking back, did they?” he asked, dread filling him at the answer he might receive. He watched as a single tear drop managed to escape her eyes with the slow nod in response, watching as she began shaking. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the other room, gently sitting her down on the bed as he patted her back soothingly.  
“What happened?”

 

__ “Papa! Papa! Look what I found!!” Kiya went running up towards her father at full speed, something unusual in her tiny arms as she ran. Her father gave a huge grin and a soft ‘what is it?’ as she charged at him, eyes widening as she opened her arms to reveal the strange items. To the modern world, it was simply a tank top and jean shorts, but to her culture it was outlandish and unheard of.  
__ “We must hide this,” he said as he quickly grabbed the items and stuffed them in a bag.  
__ “Why, Papa?”  
__ “It is not of our lands. We cannot discuss it in public.”  
__ “But, papa! I want to go to those lands! I want to see what they hold in their hands!”  
__ “Kiya!” he hissed, “do not argue with me! We will talk about this in the house!”  
__ “What’s so bad with the outside?!” her arms crossed over her chest, refusing to move from her spot, “I’ve seen what they can do! There are these huge metal objects that allow them to soar high in the sky! I want to go on one, Papa! I want to see how big it is outside of our home!”  
__ “Kiya,” he begged, voice cracking slightly, “please do not do this out here-”  
__ “I don’t care! I’m tired of living in a backwards place devoting ourselves to a god who doesn’t care about us!”  
__ “Kiya…” came the rough voice of a familiar male, causing her to turn slowly and look up at him. This was their leader, a very impatient man.  
__ “I-I’m not scared of you,” she retorted, not willing to hear his response, chest puffed out in an attempt to hide her growing fear. There was a hope in the bottom of her soul that perhaps if she were defiant enough, he would simply kick her out of the village.  
__ “You should not be afraid of me…” he moved his hand, swiftly grabbing her hair sharply and starting to drag her away, “it is our God you should be afraid of! You only exist because he has allowed it! Your purpose in life is to serve him you insolent child!”  
__ “I don’t care!! He’s not my god. I believe in--” before she was able to finish her sentence, she felt a fierce sting across her face. She was forced to look up at him as he gripped tighter on her hair.  
__ “If you so much as speak their names in my presence again, I will have your tongue removed. Is your faith worth that much? These deities your family believes in have never helped before, have they?” he asked, pressing his nose against hers as he glared at her. Despite the pain in the back of her head, she managed to gather enough courage to spit in his face. He threw her to the ground, wiping his face and grabbing something from his bag.  
_ “Where are your gods now?” he hissed, hitting her across the back with his whip. A silent scream was muffled under her breath, unable to move for a moment due to shock. She balled her fists and began to crawl away, but was soon stopped by bigger men as he yelled ‘hold her down!’ She winced and cringed with each movement he made, tears falling down her face as he relentlessly beat her until her back was covered with blood.  
_ __ “Let this be a reminder that if you attempt to defy me or our God again, you will not be treated so kindly next time. Your life is useless and can be replaced. Do not let yourself to become so high and mighty, child.”

__ It was a few days before Kiya could even get out of bed, the heat causing her healing wounds pain and making it impossible to move when she was not lying down. Today she was struggling to walk through town to retrieve some water, keeping her head down as she trudged through the hot sands.  
_ “Hey! Kiya!” she heard one of the slightly older kids yell, clearly snickering under their breath.  
_ __ “Still want to fly with the birds, Kiya?” another one mockingly asked, forcing her to walk away from them with a faster pace.

 

“Kiya…” Fiddleford said softly, grasping her hand between both of his, “yer not worthless… a-and if anyone yells at you they’ll be in a world of trouble… Yer not alone anymore and I’ll help you with whatever troubles you may end up facin’. Yer in a safe place now, so you don’t have to worry about stuff like that anymore, ok?”  
She couldn’t help but stare at him with wide eyes, tears staining her cheeks as she used her free hand to wipe away any that remained in her eyes. “Thank you…” she managed to make out, soft and a little cracked, but sincere.  
“Now you get some sleep, I’m sure ya need it after that cryin’ fit!” he gave her a quick hug before standing up and heading towards the door.  
“Goodnight, Fiddleford. Thank you again,” she smiled softly.  
“Goodnight, Kiya. If ya need anything, I’m usually fiddlin’ around on somethin’ at night. Just come find me.” he responded, waiting long enough to hear her ‘okay!’ in response before gently closing the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave ideas or opinions! :)


End file.
